An Account of the Mutinies in Oudh, and of the Siege of the Lucknow ...

tenant Burns, 10th O. I. Infantry, and of a young civil officer, Sir Mountstuart Jackson and his two sisters, and from the massacre near Aurungabad of Captain Patrick Orr; and of their having together found a refuge with Raja Lonee Singh talooqdar of Mithowlee. Before the siege commenced, communications had been received from all three gentlemen. So long as the mutineer regiments remained in the neighbourhood of Seetapoor, it was vain to attempt their rescue; but when the 41st N. I. and 10th O. I. Infantry had crossed the Ganges to Futtehgurh, and the two other regiments had removed to Mohumdabad, the road by Seetapoor to Mithowlee was left open : and I had then proposed that a party of Volunteer and Seikh Cavalry should be sent to bring in the refugees. The measure, however, was thought too hazardous, and was not attempted; though great interest was felt by all at Lucknow in the sufferers, and especially in the two Misses Jackson, who had but recently come out from England, and had resided for some months at the capital, before they removed to Seetapoor. After the siege had commenced, we received no further tidings of these refugees, until General Outram's arrival. From him we learnt that he had heard from Captain Patrick Orr, who was very anxious that his party should leave Mithowlee and join the General's army. This could not be effected; and reports had got about, after the arrival of the relief force, that the mutineers had got possession of them; and had brought them prisoners to Lucknow. On this day a letter from Captain Patrick Orr was received by his brother, Captain Alexander Orr, which confirmed these sad reports. The letter was dated the 29th, and bore the signatures of the six refugees, viz. Captain Patrick Orr and Mrs. Orr, Sir Mountstuart and Miss Madeleine Jackson, Lieutenant G. Burns, and Serjeant-Major Morton. It mentioned that there were two children with the party, viz. little Sophy Christian, and a daughter of Captain Orr's ; that they had been sent in by Raja Lonee Singh, the men being put in chains; and that since their arrival at Lucknow they had been relieved from their fetters, and had been well treated in the Kaiser Bagh. Sad news was this; and it is to be hoped that a severe retribution will some day fall on Lonee Singh, for thus basely surrendering our friends. Under existing circumstances, there was no possibility of rendering aid, and the best that could be hoped was, that their lives might not be taken. Of this, however, no assurance could be felt, considering the character of the bloodthirsty wretches in whose hands they were. When Sir Colin Campbell's army left Lucknow, nothing had been effected for the relief of the prisoners. Subsequent accounts have mentioned the death from sickness of little Sophy Christian; the murder of the men; and the final escape of the two ladies, and of Mrs. Orr's daughter. These ladies were rescued, after the capture of the city of Lucknow, by Captain McNeill and Lieutenant Bogle, of the Bengal Artillery. From the account given by them it appeared that they had been protected and well treated by one Darogah Wajid Alee. Certain intelligence having now been received of the early approach of a relieving force, under the Commander-in-Chief in person, the General despatched to-night to Alum Bagh, plans of the city and its approaches, together with his advice as to the best means of effecting a junction of the forces. The plan recommended by Sir James Outram was that eventually followed by Sir Colin Campbell, viz. to make a

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détour from Alum Bagh to the right to the Dilkoosha, and thence advance by the Martinière, Sekundur Bagh, &c. Some anxiety was felt respecting the safe receipt of this despatch, and the authorities at Alum Bagh were instructed to notify the arrival of the messenger by hoisting a flag. It was satisfactory, therefore, to see next day the ensign flying from the top of the Alum Bagh Garden House. This success suggested the idea of communicating by semaphore telegraph, although the distance was great; and from the haze which often overhung the city, it was uncertain whether our glasses could distinguish the movements of the machine. All necessary particulars being fortunately found under the head “Telegraph,” in the “Penny Cyclopædia,” in my library, the General ordered the immediate erection of a semaphore on the top of the Residency, and copies of the necessary instructions were sent to Alum Bagh.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE LONG-LOOKED-FOR RELIEF.—NOWEMBER.

General Havelock looks ill.—Casualties on the 4th of November.—En

sign Dashwood mortally wounded.—News received of General Hope Grant's approach.-Captain R. P. Anderson's post.—Mr. Kavanagh's enterprise.—He reaches the Commander-in-Chief's camp in safety.— His account of the appearance of the city.—The arrival of the Commander-in-Chief at Alum Bagh telegraphed on the 13th-On the 14th of November, his force seen advancing towards the Dilkoosha – Lieutenant Havelock and Mr. Gubbins repair on the 15th to the top of the Chuttur Munzil.—Description of the beautiful and extensive view.—Sir Colin's force did not advance on that day.—Its advance on the 16th of November as seen from the top of the Chuttur Munzi, described.—The force reaches the Sekundur Bagh; then the Shah Nujeef, and the Kudum Rusool-Appearance of the groups of the opposing enemy.—Co-operation of our own batteries.—Mines under the wall concealing our advanced battery, sprung.—The battery opens—The storming party issues and carry the steam-engine house, king's stables, and Hirun Khana.-The serjeant's bungalow fired— Account of the storming of the Sekundur Bagh, and Shah NujeefLeave certificate men among the slain.—Operations of the 17th of November—Bombardment of the 32nd Mess-house.—Storming party. —Mess-house occupied ; Tara Kotee taken ; Motee Munzil taken— Communication betweeen the armies effected.—The Generals meet.— Orders made known for the immediate abandonment of the Residency. —Disappointment of the garrison.—General Havelock hears of the honours bestowed upon him.—It is impossible to over-estimate his services.—The Kaiser Bagh breached on the 18th of November– Preparations for evacuating the position.—Native guns burst.—Further operations of Sir Colin's army—Brigadier Russell disabled— Colonel Biddulph killed.—Sir Colin's head-quarters—He visits the intrenchment once.—The ladies, and sick, and wounded leave the intrenchment on the 19th, and proceed to the Dilkoosha – Mr. Gubbins visits Sir Colin's head-quarters.--Anecdote of Sir Colin Campbell.—Sandy lane leading to the Dilkoosha-General order of Commander-in-Chief—Supplementary order—The garrison retires oc the night of the 22nd of November.—Captain Waterman's escape— Camp at Dilkoosha on the 23rd–Letters and papers received.—Sir Henry Havelock expires at Dilkoosha.-His remains interred at Alum Bagh.--Camp moves to Alum Bagh-Description of Alum Bagh

Halt there on the 25th and 26th.-March to Cawnpoor–Troops COInposing Sir Colin's army—Its number and loss—Remarks on the relief-The Commander-in-Chief's order of the 23rd of November.

WE now entered the fifth, and happily the last month of the siege. The only entry worth notice on this date, which I find in my Journal, is, that General Havelock was not looking well, but pale and thin ; no doubt from want of proper stimulant and food, and from the confinement and bad air, and the effect of former long exposure. November 2nd and 3rd —The enemy's musketry continuing to be very annoying from the south side, and having lost another of my native levies, shot through the head, while walking across the compound on the 2nd, I had a quantity of sun-dried bricks made, with which, during the night, the wall was raised four feet, so as to screen our west portico and part of the compound from the fire of the enemy's towers. Our Generals seem to contemplate that the Kaiser Bagh shall be assaulted as soon as Sir Colin's army arrives, on two sides, viz. by his force from the side of the Dilkoosha, and by ours from our present position. November 4th–This day exemplified a feature of our siege life, which we had often before noticed, viz. that upon many of the days which appeared to be the quietest, when neither the enemy attacked, nor we had made a sortie, several casualties would occur. In the forenoon, Ensign Dashwood, 48th N. I., while sitting sketching in the Residency grounds, was struck by a round shot, and lost both his legs. The shot was fired from across the river from a 6-pounder gun, which the enemy used to move about, firing first from one quarter, and then from another. In this case poor young Dashwood had warning from a first